Movie Reviews

We had a wonderful time at the Torgesen Family Reunion and Elizabeth and the girls are enjoying the Lake Powell week. I'll let my much better half recap the festivities of the past week, as well as Grandma Torgesen's funeral services.

In the meantime, let's review some of the recent movies we've seen. It's been a while (four months or so) and you know you can trust us with these reviews...

(500) Days of Summer

I hadn't heard too much about this movie, but was thoroughly impressed. It is a story about love and how it affects us in many ways. This was a comedic, touching, realistic depiction of things. Clearly one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! It took me back to experienced I had (only in a Mormon way!). The two lead characters were outstandingly believeable and the director used some creative ways to tell the story. Definitely worth seeing and thanks Moms for taking me to see this!

Night at the Museum 2: too long, too fluffy, and too many characters. Not my favorite. Started out good, but got worse as the film progressed. A few funny scenes, but Ben Stiller is losing it (not that he ever had "it").

Confessions of a Shopaholic: Pretty much what I expected...formulaic movie that reminded me how much I hate fake people and helped me appreciate even more how grateful I am that Elizabeth is not like the girls that used to (and still) drive me nuts with their obsession with materialism. I did not care for this.

The Proposal

As Elizabeth mentioned, we saw this on our anniversary and we both enjoyed it. It started out so great and was a typical Sandra Bullock romantic comedy. Unfortunately, there were a few unneeded parts. We've seen a lot of Ryan Reynolds' movies recently and think he quite a good actor. Worth a watch.

Knowing: I shown have "known" that this would be a terrible movie, but when you've got a Red Box code, you take the risk. AWFUL. Nicolas Cage has got to be one of the worst actors around. Can't stand any of his movies.

Taking Chance: a short HBO film about an officer who accompanies a soldier's body to his hometown. Extremely touching and patriotic. You can get it at Red Box.

Angels and Demons: We really enjoyed this one...much more that the first film (and that was fairly good too). Exciting, action-packed movie. Best part: Tom Hanks' mullet was no where to be found!

Paul Blart: Kadence could've predicted how this would play out, but it was funny and enjoyable. \

Marley and Me

One of our favorites of the year. Not anything like we expected. It was very touching as it showed the life of a family, using a dog's perspective to help tell the story. Not a dog fan, but a fan of this movie.

Passengers: Not that great. Anne Hathaway has come a long way since the Princess Diaries.

Taken: Pretty exciting, but yet another movie that started out on fire and then just became too much. Extremely violent!

Bride Wars: We really enjoyed this one! Both Hathaway and Kate Hudson do a good job.

Seven Pounds: Interesting plot line, but difficult to watch.

Quantum of Solace: Fairly good. It is, after all, a James Bond movie (I do my best not to hide my feelings here!).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I kind of fell asleep, so need to give it another go. It was so extremely slow. Elizabeth thought it was mediocre.

Yes Man: Blah

Bedtime Stories: definitely more for the younger audience, but decent.

Up
Last, but certainly not least, Up was a big family favorite. We took the girls to the theater to see this and although Tayah decided to get some exercise the second half of the movies (laps up and down the aisles), it was yet another great film for Disney!

And there you have it...much too long of an entry, but what can you do?!